Ryan Reynolds is Remaking “Clue”, But He Really Shouldn’t Bother

The actor behind Deadpool is enjoying something of a career boom at the moment. While Reynolds was never a particularly underexposed actor, he now seems to be everywhere, as studio executives hope that he’ll be able to spin gold out of whatever project he sets his mind to.

Ryan Reynolds has already, inexplicably, been cast as Detective Pikachu in the movie of the same name, and now he’s setting out to take the pair of writers who worked on “Deadpool” and its sequel, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, to work on a remake of “Clue”.

Source: GQ

Is the world really calling out for an update for this 1985 classic, itself based on a board game?

It’s rare to say the least that a board game turns into a vaguely watchable movie, but hoping that lightning will strike twice feels like a foolish dream.

The original “Clue” is a film with a lot of moving parts, and if anything is removed from the formula, the whole reboot could well end up falling apart.

Part of the problem here is the name of the film – the appeal of calling a movie “Clue” is to cash in on the brand appeal related to both the board game and the existing movie.

As anyone who’s ever played “Clue” will attest, the whole point of the game is that the events don’t play out the same way twice. The fun is figuring out the mystery.

So if Reynolds’ new “Clue” follows the same plot as the 1985 film, it’ll be predictable and dull. If things get changed up, then the movie isn’t really “Clue”.

Source: Paramount Pictures

What might work better is if Reynolds were to come up with a new, original name for his fledgling murder mystery.

After all, who needs the brand appeal of “Clue” when you’re Deadpool? Isn’t that the point of Reynolds’ sudden popularity among studio executives?

There’s nothing about the “Clue” board game or the movie that is so inherently iconic that it can’t be copied in another film of a different name. Maybe we shouldn’t be reaching to remake a classic that is itself merely a genre pastiche, when it would be easier and more sensible to simply make another pastiche.

But, hey, that would take some original thought and effort. It’d much easier for Ryan Reynolds to simply get a bunch of his buddies together to make a quick knock-off of an existing film, without having to think too hard about what they’re making.

The real mystery here is why anyone would want to watch a version of “Clue” that doesn’t star Tim Curry. Any attempt to remake the film without him would be a crime worse than murder!